This watercolour is one of a collection of over 300 natural history illustrations commissioned in Calcutta, between 1777 and 1783, by Lady Mary Impey (1749–1818) and her husband Sir Elijah Impey (1732–1809), Chief Justice of Bengal (1774–1782). The works provided an accurate record of many newly identified species and were extensively referred to by western scholars of natural history, including John Latham. Three Indian artists working in the Mughal court tradition were employed in the series' creation: Shaykh Zayn al-Din, Bhawani Das and Ram Das.